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The New York Giants defense had more than its share of holes in 2014. Defensive tackle, middle linebacker, cornerback -- by way of injury -- and safety.
Update: Read our 2015 NFL Draft scouting reports for the top prospects.
The safety position is a curious one in the NFL. Outside of some headlining playmakers like Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, or Earl Thomas, it is largely overlooked. However, if your defense doesn't have a good safety -- and odds are if you are hemorrhaging big plays, it does -- it is one of the biggest needs you could have.
The Giants have struggled for years to find a consistently good free safety. They've drafted safeties such as Kenny Phillips and Chad Jones high, signed free agents like Antrel Rolle, and Deon Grant, and even taken a flier on Will Hill.
However, none of them consistently gave the level of play the Giants needed for a variety of reason, though usually injury was the culprit.
It is a good possibility that the Giants could look to the draft once again to find a young, talented player to patrol the back end of their defense.
Cody Prewitt was a captain and the leader of that fearsome Landshark defense in Ole Miss. He is also one of the highest rated safeties in the 2015 draft, so let's take a closer look, shall we?
Pros
- Captain and defensive leader for Ole Miss
- Excellent size for the position at 6-foot-2, 215
- High football IQ, good vision, and understands route concepts
- Athleticism to be a true free safety in either a single or two deep concept.
- Secure open-field tackler, and good ball skills.
Cons
- Not an elite athlete
- Can be burned by over-aggressive angles
- Generally not used as a blitzer
- Saw a decline in production as a senior
Does He Fit With The Giants?
Yes.
Should I elaborate? Okay. Prewitt reminds me a bit of a young, pre-injury Kenny Phillips. He doesn't have the elite athleticism that scouts drool over, and that could knock him out of the first round. However, much like Phillips, Prewitt is the type of safety who generally doesn't let the play get behind him, and can make teams pay for testing him deep.
With Antrel Rolle a 32-year-old free agent, and question marks around both Cooper Taylor and Nat Berhe, the Giants need somebody they can count on to be the last line of their defense, and they could do much, much worse than Cody Prewitt.
Prospect Video
Big Board Rankings
Big Blue View - 29
Mocking The Draft - 65
CBS Sports - 52
Draft Countdown - 36 (seniors only)
Draft Tek - 95
Final Thoughts
I'll admit, I like watching Cody Prewitt. He was my second-favorite safety to watch this year.
He seems to stay disciplined in his assignment and doesn't play out of control. I think that's the biggest thing lacking from the Giants' secondary (and defense as a whole, really). They have been burned entirely too much by players playing outside of their assignments. It can be hard scouting safeties, especially free safeties, from TV broadcasts, and we will undoubtedly learn more about these guys' movement skills and all-around athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine.